The Dream Daughter: A Novel

The Dream Daughter

By Diane Chamberlain

Synopsis:

It is 1970. Newly widowed, and just finding out she is pregnant, Carly Sears is delivered the devastating news that her unborn daughter has a severe heart defect, the cure for which has not been found yet. Her brother-in-law chooses this moment to reveal his true past as a physicist and informs her that there is a way to save her unborn child. What he suggests is as unbelievable as anything Carly has ever seen or heard of. Something that will require her to show an unimaginable amount of courage. Will Carly go against all reason and go down this unthinkable path, to save her daughter?

Book Review:

Carly Sears has recently lost her husband and just found out that her unborn daughter has a serious heart defect. Her heart wants to follow along with her brother-in-law’s suggestion, as that is the only way she can save her daughter.

Beautifully written, The Dream Daughter is unlike any typical mother-daughter relationship book. It shows insight into maternal feelings long before a child is actually born and depicts the lengths which a mother can take for her child.

I really loved the contrast of the different settings of the book. The switch between different years takes a while to get used to since the reader always feels exactly as Carly feels – lost and slowly getting used to her surroundings. Interestingly, the book revolves around just a few characters but still manages to show different aspects of their personalities.

The main concept of the book feels a bit conflicting with the maternal feel throughout the book, however, once accustomed to the idea, I was able to focus more on the feelings and aspirations of the characters.

The ending does justice to the story as a whole. It shows us that there can and will always be situations where you don’t end up with exactly what you wanted, but still you end up winning despite it all. This book is definitely recommended for readers who enjoy sentimental reads, like me.